I am 53 and in the beginning stages of menopause. I had a 71 day cycle before having a regular period. The the next month I started spotting at day 25 and it has continued for three weeks now. Is this normal?

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1 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:SpottingI am 53 and in the beginning stages of menopause. I had a 71 day cycle before having a regular period. The the next month I started spotting at day 25 and it has continued for three weeks now. Is this normal?

Dear DonnaJayne,The answer is that this type of bleeding pattern is quite typical of perimenopause; we stop ovulating well-when we ovulate we make good amounts of progesterone; without that, we lose the regulator of uterine bleeding. If these patterns are annoying, many gyns recommend some progesterone intervention to "regulate" the bleeding. That being said, if the bleeding pattern sounds at all possibly related to abnormalities of the lining of the uterus (like possibly some overgrowth of the lining, for example) we often will do an ultrasound or endometrial sampling (biopsy)-which is quite straightforward and an office procedure-to rule out abnormalities in the lining. So do check in with your health care provider, but do not worry.Good luck,Mary Jane

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:SpottingDear DonnaJayne,The answer is that this type of bleeding pattern is quite typical of perimenopause; we stop ovulating well-when we ovulate we make good amounts of progesterone; without that, we lose the regulator of uterine bleeding. If these patterns are annoying, many gyns recommend some progesterone intervention to "regulate" the bleeding. That being said, if the bleeding pattern sounds at all possibly related to abnormalities of the lining of the uterus (like possibly some overgrowth of the lining, for example) we often will do an ultrasound or endometrial sampling (biopsy)-which is quite straightforward and an office procedure-to rule out abnormalities in the lining. So do check in with your health care provider, but do not worry.Good luck,Mary Jane

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